April 7 Open Thread: The Principal Difference Between a Dog and a Corporation
America’s greatest aphorist, Mark Twain, said, “If you pick up a starving dog and make him prosperous he will not bite you. This is the principal difference between a dog and man.” It also holds for artificial men, that is, corporations. As payback for rescuing them from bankruptcy with public funds, American automakers lobbied long and hard to roll back fuel efficiency standards.
The long-term lease of the Port of Wilmington cleared its first (and lowest) hurdle when the board that runs the port approved the deal.
Conservatives might get further with normal people if they didn’t have the sensitivity of tree stumps. A U.S. Representative from South Carolina whipped out his loaded gun at a town hall meeting to prove guns are safe. His point, he said, was that he wasn’t going to “be a Gabby Giffords.”
The Booman Tribune makes the case that Trump is looking to hand Syria over to the Russians because Putin is getting tired of the low return on his investment in Trump’s election.
The war on drugs, or somebody’s tax money at work: New York cops are boosting their narco-arrest stats by having undercover officersgive money to junkies to buy drugs for them, then busting them as “dealers.” I feel so much safer now.
At long last, science has an explanation for why most people take an instant dislike to Sen. Ted Cruz — and no, it’s not just to save time. It’s something about his unnatural smile, according to this neurologist, in an article that introduced me to the German word Backpfeifengesicht, which means “face in need of a good punch.”
Not as punchable, but even more ridiculous Texas politician Blake Farenthold resigned abruptly, apparently because he didn’t want anyone running that photo of him in ducky pajamas anymore.
I haven’t been able to run down an actul news source for this – but I’ve seen tweets stateing that the Teamsters are honoring the Oklahoma teacher’s picket line. If true that is a huge step.
Anybody believe that Assad is responsible for the latest chemical weapons attack on civilians in Syria? Is it a coincidence that it happened right after Trump urges exit from Syria?
Now Trump Tweets, “Animal Assad”. Who can make sense of this? Why would Assad take action that would insure US continuance in Syria?
“Animal Assad” with his family, making Christmas visit to orphans, at a Christian monastery, in Syria?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GdN_NpIcSQw
@RSE “Why would Assad take action that would insure US continuance in Syria?”
I think the word you’re looking for is “ensure”, but it’s likely because he’s not really thinking about the US. He’s far more focused on the situation on the ground and on perceived local threats. Trump has already demonstrated his impotence.
The reason why our politicians lie to us so frequently is because so many people just buy this crap…”perceived local threats”?..Yeah, so don’t use the billions of dollars in modern weaponry that you have…Use barrels of chemicals, so that the world will condemn you while the US bombs the shit out of one of your air bases again…Sorry, not buying it.
The reason they can lie to us about the complex politics of the Middle East is that most people don’t give a shit, except in a root-for-the-home-team way.
Ah, fear not: Chris Coons has condemned the attack. That should put a stop to it.
He’s in a group “decrying ” it, it says. Wow, what a dynamic powerhouse.
And the media laps it up. There is no way that they completely believe this narrative themselves. I guess all we can hope for is that this chicanery is to the benefit of the US and our allies, and not some non-affiliated corporate interests or something.
Actuallly, RSE, if you check the “most read” lists at various web sites, you’ll find that this story can’t even break through the Stormy Daniels noise.
@RSE “Yeah, so don’t use the billions of dollars in modern weaponry that you have…”
1. The goal is to kill the people and not harm the infrastructure.
The infrastructure is the prize they are fighting over. Chemicals work well in this case.
2. Assad doesn’t have as much as you might imagine. Maybe a small neutron bomb would be more effective, but I don’t think he’s got one.
I think these two arguing about the tactical deployment of field munitions is peak blog.
I heard RSE is a tier one operator.
Well, RSE is a conservative man, and I’ve never heard of a conservative man who didn’t think he knew more about weapons and armies than professional soldiers do. The ones who’ve served in the armed forces are even worse.
Can’t believe people are actually buying this ruse. “Forest for the trees” comes to mind. BTW, I don’t know jack about armies or their tactics. You must have me confused with someone else….I did meet Lewis Puller a couple times when I was a small child, but I don’t think that counts.
Good cliche.
I’m not even following the discussion. Bored.
Which ruse are you talking about? What do you, meaning any of us, actually know about these events at this point? I’m not going to build any opinion at all on the shaky ground of what gets reported out of that region of the world.
Who’s even paying attention to this? Is this a big thing in conservoworld or something? Because most of the media really isn’t on this, and I’m frankly not that interested either. I’m too busy with ridding our government of kleptocratic fascists to worry about who they’re killing on the other side of the world this week.
Didn’t the Obama administration take credit for Assad getting rid of “100 percent” of his chemical weapons?
And how would they know? Take that horseshit somewhere they care.